Page 21 of Born of Starlight
Then the smell hit me. It was a mixture of lamp oil and raw meat—putrid and musky. All the hair on the back of my neck stood. I had smelled it before. It was the same scent the air carried during my prophecy of Luz falling. Ithadto be the smell of dark magic.
Dark magic could only be created of two things—death or shadows.What could possibly be in these woods that commanded either?Searching the catalog of creatures in my mind, only one made sense.
“They are Specters,” I whispered to Emmerick. “They cannot hurt you. Hold your ground and face the same directionno matter what.”
“And you know this how?” he whispered back uneasily.
“Books.”
He let out an unconvinced “hmph.”
We continued walking with our horses in hand. Emmerick’s body was stiff, and he’d drawn his sword.
“If it is Specters, they simply aim to confuse travelers.”
“Why would they do that?”
“We’re more likely to die in these woods if we lose our way. That’s when we join them. Death likes company,” I answered, yelling over the sound of the approaching voices.
Then, the cacophony of shrieks burst from the treetops, descending from all directions. There were at least twelve of them. The red gelding reared and pulled back, threatening to set me off course. I let go of the reins and let him run. Emmerick’s horse broke free as well.There went our packs.
The Specters’ appearances were ghastly—tattered skin and bone. They were only human in shape, and their edges blurred and bent like shadows. Their semi-translucent bodies darkened our view. They would add to my nightmares for weeks to come. They darted toward us and away, around us and over, taunting, screaming.
Ten…nine…eight…
The moment the Specters descended upon us, Emmerick attempted to strike, but his blade found nothing. He swirled and swung wildly.
“Emmerick, stand your ground. Don’t swing!” I yelled.
I forced my feet to remain in the direction we traveled, not moving them an inch.Focus.
The Specters passed through us as though we were nothing to them but toys to be played with. Cackling, screaming. Each time one passed through me, I was chilled to the bone, and the smell was enough to make me want to vomit.
Emmerick fell to the ground, growling, as his sword continued not to find purchase with flesh or bone.
Seven…six…five…
The screaming and voices suddenly stopped—the Specters were gone.I heard Emmerick get to his feet with a grunt and a slew of profanities that I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of saying with all his courtly manners.
“I told you not to try.”
Emmerick seared me with a scowl as he stepped beside me. He was winded and catching his breath. “I don’t understand how youdidn’treact to those things.” He wasn’t hurt, at least not physically, but his pride seemed bruised. “And yet the sight of a horse made you pale.”
I shrugged. “Belittling my fears won’t change that you just tired yourself fighting air.”
He grunted in response before waving toward the clearing to our right. My feet were no longer pointing to it. The Specters had altered the appearance of the woods.
“We were headed this way,” he said, heading to the clearing.
I shook my head. “No, we go into the woods. My feet never moved, and they are facing the woods now. They tried to throw us off course.”
He pulled out a compass and let out a drawn-out sigh as he realized I was right.
The horses were nowhere to be found. We were on foot, heading deeper into the northern woodlands, without our belongings.
This is the right path.I kept repeating the mantra.
I patted my robe pocket in order to ensure the vial of Skei remedy was safe within. That was all we needed.
